How to Get Your First 100 Backlinks as a New Startup

To get your first 100 backlinks, build a product people can explain, claim a few relevant profiles, launch where your buyers gather, and publish material others have a reason to cite. Treat 100 as a tracking milestone, not a ranking threshold. One useful mention from an independent site can matter more than dozens of repeated links from a single directory. Expect a sustained effort, not a weekend submission sprint.

Key takeaways

• Count links and referring domains separately. Ten links from one site are still one referring domain.
• Start with pages you own and accurate profiles before asking anyone to link.
• Choose launch sites for audience fit, timing, and stated link conditions, not just a published Domain Rating.
• Give partners, writers, and community members a useful page to cite.
• Track live URLs and qualified visits. A submitted form is not a published backlink.

This plan is for a new site with a real product, not a shortcut for buying a graph of links. The goal is a credible trail of independent references that can send the right people to your business. If the question is specifically about the DR metric, use the Domain Rating improvement guide.

What does “100 backlinks” mean?

A backlink is a link from another site to yours. A backlink report may count multiple links from the same domain, links to different pages, historical links, and links that have since disappeared. That is why “100 backlinks” is an imprecise target. Track at least three measures: live linking pages, unique referring domains, and useful referral visits. The third tells you whether the link reaches a potential user.

A relevant article that links to a comparison, tutorial, or free tool often has more context than a bare homepage URL in a profile. That does not mean directory profiles are worthless. They can establish the basics and give people another discovery path. But they should be the beginning of the plan, not the whole plan.

No one can promise that 100 links will produce a specific ranking, amount of traffic, or Domain Rating. Ahrefs' DR is a third-party estimate, not a Google score. The DR explainer covers what it measures and its limitations. Use a milestone only to keep the team organized; stop prioritizing a tactic when the incremental links are irrelevant or risky.

The phased plan at a glance

The table ranks work by relative effort and risk, not invented link yields. “Potential” describes whether the tactic can produce one or more independent mentions if executed well. There is no guaranteed number per tactic.

If you have almost no budget, the order still works. “Free” does not mean effortless. A thoughtful directory profile, a good launch answer, and a partner page all require attention. A paid distribution service may save time, but it does not guarantee acceptance or links on third-party sites.

Phase 1: Make the site worth linking to

Before outreach, give someone a page they can confidently reference. Your homepage should identify the product category, intended user, problem, and next action. Add a useful about page, contact method, and clear pricing or access status. If the product is not public yet, say what a visitor can do now. Make navigation and product pages accessible without a login when they are meant to be public.

Create a short factual description for submissions: one sentence about who the product helps, another about the job it does, and a few concrete features. Keep your canonical brand spelling and website URL consistent. A directory editor should not have to guess whether two versions of your name are the same company. These basics also support the entity consistency discussed in the GEO guide.

Add measurement before publishing elsewhere. Use a spreadsheet with source, page URL, destination, submission date, status, link attribute, badge requirement, follow-up date, and referred visits. Use tagged links where a platform permits them, but keep the destination useful to visitors. Check that the landing page loads and that analytics do not count your own tests as customer visits.

Phase 2: Launch on a few relevant platforms

Choose one primary launch where your likely early users browse. Product Hunt has a broad early-adopter audience but does not promise a dofollow link in its official guide. A weekly founder board may offer a different conversation and a lasting product page. LaunchAF's free route, for example, requires a public branded badge, verification, and review; a new free listing can be delisted if its badge disappears. Paid plans publish after successful payment and the featured shelf is labelled separately from organic rank.

We run LaunchAF, so consider its submission flow only if that audience and condition fit. The free launch platforms guide is a better starting point than picking a service by DR alone. Prepare clear screenshots, a short tagline, and a reason for readers to try the product. Answer comments. A launch page with a real discussion has value beyond the link itself.

Do not schedule five launches on the same day because a spreadsheet has five empty rows. Queues and reviews may shift. Stagger launches so you can support each one and attribute visits. Confirm each page is published before counting its link. Revisit the profile when your name, pricing, or product changes.

Phase 3: Add curated directory profiles

Directory listings are useful when they are relevant and readable. Pick categories that match your product. Avoid submitting a general-purpose description to an AI directory, a design-tool directory, and a local business directory when the product fits only one of them. An editor may reject the mismatch, and visitors who arrive from a misleading category are unlikely to stay.

Many directories require a badge or reciprocal link, and some have long queues. The launch directories tracker can help you record progress after you have submitted a product on LaunchAF; until then, a simple spreadsheet is enough. Check each publisher's current terms. A $0 signup is not proof that a free listing includes a followed link. Likewise, a claimed followed link is not proof that your profile has been accepted and indexed.

Write for the directory's readers. A concise example of your product's use is more helpful than a string of keywords. Where the form permits a category-specific description, use it to explain why someone browsing that category should click. Save your submission text so you can revise it later, but do not copy the same paragraph into every profile.

Phase 4: Earn links through the product ecosystem

Look at the tools your product integrates with, the workflows it supports, and the partners who already serve your audience. An integration page can describe setup, permissions, and a real use case. A partner may link to that page because it answers a customer question, not because you requested a reciprocal SEO favor. If there is no genuine integration or joint customer value, do not invent one.

Resource pages can be another fit. For example, a community that teaches a process may include a link to a free calculator or template that improves the lesson. Before writing to the editor, read the page and identify the exact gap your resource fills. “Please add my tool” is not an argument. A short, specific note that shows the resource, its limits, and why their reader needs it is more respectful.

When a partner agrees, give them the correct URL and a plain description. Let the publisher choose its editorial wording. Demanding an exact-match keyword anchor is a poor signal and makes the page less natural for readers. Keep a record of the relationship and check the link occasionally when a partner redesigns its site.

Phase 5: Participate where founders and buyers already talk

Communities are not link vending machines. Join a relevant group because you can answer questions or learn from users. If someone asks how to solve a task your product addresses, start with a helpful answer that stands on its own. Mention the product only when the rules allow it and when the link genuinely adds context.

This can produce nofollow or ugc links, and that is fine. A discussion may bring qualified visitors or inspire a later independent article. Chasing “dofollow” in a forum can damage your reputation faster than it helps your site. Use the community's own link and promotion rules, and disclose your affiliation when recommending your product.

Keep a small log of questions that come up repeatedly. They reveal what to explain on your own site. A useful answer page may later be cited by a writer or another community member without you asking for the link. That is slower than dropping a URL, but it compounds because the page also helps future customers.

Phase 6: Publish something worth citing

A linkable asset solves a problem better than a generic opinion post. It could be a free tool, a clear benchmark with methodology, an interactive checklist, or a firsthand teardown that shows its sources. LaunchAF's free founder tools illustrate the format: a person can use the resource without having to buy a launch. The asset should stand on its own and be kept accurate.

Original data can be valuable, but only if you have a real collection method and permission to publish. State sample size, timeframe, and limitations. Do not present an illustrative model as a study. If you do not have original data, a carefully sourced process guide or calculator can still help. Cite other people's sources rather than copying their charts and calling them research.

Make the asset easy to reference. Give it a stable URL, an answer-first summary, clear headings, and examples. A journalist or educator should be able to understand what they would cite without scheduling a demo. Internally link the asset from related guides and product pages. The same clarity matters when you want to earn citations in AI search, although neither kind of citation can be forced. If the information becomes stale, update it and explain what changed.

Phase 7: Pitch people with a real reason to care

Guest writing, expert responses, podcasts, and digital PR can earn editorial links when you bring actual expertise. Start with topics you can demonstrate from building or using the product. A founder can describe a specific decision, failure, or method without inventing a success metric. Offer evidence or an example a writer can verify.

“HARO-style” expert requests are simply calls for knowledgeable sources. Respond quickly when a journalist's question matches your experience, but do not claim credentials you lack or paste a promotional paragraph. Some opportunities will not include a link, and some links may be nofollow. The editorial relationship and relevant audience still matter. Keep the pitch short enough for a busy person to evaluate.

Avoid mass emails that merely replace the recipient's first name. Read what the writer covers and reference a specific piece where your contribution fits. If you cannot identify the gap, do not send the pitch. A small number of considered notes often teaches you more about the market than a large campaign of template outreach.

A 30/60/90-day schedule

Days 1 to 30: establish the base. Fix the homepage and public product details. Set up analytics and the tracking sheet. Submit to one primary launch platform and a short list of relevant directories whose conditions you can meet. Record accepted pages separately from pending submissions. Choose one customer question that deserves a useful answer page.

Days 31 to 60: build relationships. Publish the answer page and improve it from real questions. Contact integration partners or resource-page editors with specific use cases. Participate in a community where your audience already asks those questions. Follow up on directory reviews only when the publisher's stated window has passed. Verify links that went live.

Days 61 to 90: create a stronger asset. Turn your best recurring question into a tool, template, or well-sourced guide. Pitch it to a few relevant writers or educators. Review which earlier links sent useful visits, which listings remain pending, and which conditions need maintenance. Stop spending time on categories that send the wrong audience.

These dates are a suggested work rhythm, not a promise that links will arrive on schedule. Editorial decisions and queues are outside your control. If you are still below the numerical milestone after 90 days but have useful customers and a handful of solid referring domains, the strategy may be working better than the number suggests.

What should the tracking sheet contain?

Use one row per prospective linking page, not per platform name. Suggested columns: publisher, exact page URL, category fit, contact or submission URL, your destination URL, submission date, status, expected review window, badge or payment condition, live date, rel attribute, referring domain, referral visits, follow-up date, and notes. Mark “submitted,” “approved,” “published,” and “link verified” as different states.

Once a month, check the live pages and remove broken or disappeared links from your active tally. If a badge-gated listing loses followed status after a redesign, fix the badge before assuming the publisher broke its promise. Also record whether a publication mentions the right product and points to the canonical domain. A misspelled brand or old URL is worth correcting even when the link still works.

What should you avoid?

Do not buy bulk link packages that cannot name the sites and editorial process. Do not exchange keyword-rich links with unrelated sites merely to inflate a metric. Do not submit duplicate product descriptions to directories that have no category fit. Do not count a form confirmation as a backlink. And do not pressure an editor to use a followed link when its policy requires sponsored, ugc, or nofollow.

Google's link-spam policy is a useful boundary for tactics designed primarily to manipulate search. A relevant, honest directory listing or paid advertisement can serve users; a network whose purpose is to pass ranking credit is different. If a proposal sounds like a fixed DR increase rather than an opportunity to reach readers, step away.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get 100 backlinks?

There is no dependable timeline. Review queues, partner decisions, and editorial citations vary widely, and a raw link count can include repeated links from one domain. Use a 90-day work plan, then evaluate referring domains and useful visits rather than judging the effort by an arbitrary deadline.

Are free directory backlinks worth it?

They can be when the directory is relevant, the listing is public, and the policy is clear. Many free routes have badge or queue requirements, so the work is not zero. Inspect the final listing and ask whether its readers might actually use your product.

Should I only pursue dofollow links?

No. A followed editorial link can be valuable, but nofollow and ugc mentions can also send qualified visitors and start relationships. Understand the distinction without reducing every mention to an SEO score.

Will 100 links increase my Domain Rating?

Not necessarily. DR depends on the linking domains and a third-party provider's model, not simply a count of anchors. It can change independently of Google rankings and business results. Measure the quality and diversity of referring domains as well as the score.

Can I outsource all of this?

You can outsource research or submissions, but you still need to approve the sites, descriptions, and conditions. A service's delivered form submissions are not equivalent to published, eligible links. Ask for exact live URLs and review them yourself before counting results.

The bottom line

Your first 100 backlinks should emerge from a product worth explaining, a few good-fit profiles, helpful relationships, and material others want to cite. Start by fixing your own public pages, then choose one launch and a small directory shortlist. Track verified links and useful visitors; let the count be a milestone, not the strategy.